Chapter 33
WREN
Being back in California was bittersweet. I left for Vegas with Parker and came back alone. Ripp was glad to have me back, and it was comforting to know he would just be next door. However, I didn’t want to be alone when I arrived home. Thankfully, my services were needed elsewhere.
I was a little sleep-deprived, but I didn’t care.
Spending time with the twins was what I needed.
Instead of staying at my Venice home, Peyton and Ethan were more than happy to have me stay with them.
I woke up in the middle of the night with the twins and fed them so Peyton could get some much-needed rest.
“Are you ever going to put Colby down?” Peyton teased, her voice quiet from the doorway.
I’d already put Walker in the crib, but Colby took a little longer to fall asleep.
Gently, I laid him beside Walker and tiptoed out of the nursery, following Peyton down the hall to her living room.
My bags were packed and ready by the front door.
I figured it was time to deal with everything going on.
I couldn’t hide away at Peyton’s forever.
Peyton patted the couch, and I sat down beside her. My body still hurt from the explosion, so it took me a few seconds to get comfortable.
“Maybe you should take two more weeks off from training instead of one,” Peyton suggested, staring at me with concern in her emerald eyes.
I waved her off. “I told your mom I’ll be ready in a week. I can’t sit on my ass any longer.”
Peyton chuckled. “You haven’t been sitting on your ass. You’ve been taking care of two babies.”
I reached over and held her hand, loving how my heart swelled at the mention of them. “And I’ve enjoyed every minute. You and the boys have been keeping me sane during all this craziness.”
Peyton squeezed my hand. “Things with Seth are still going good, right?”
My chest tightened just thinking about him; I missed him.
“They are,” I replied, “other than the fact that I haven’t seen him in days.”
Tears burned my eyes as memories from that disastrous night in Vegas replayed through my mind. I remembered the last moment I saw Genevieve. Her smiling face will always be ingrained in my mind. That was how I wanted to remember her.
I leaned my head on Peyton’s shoulder, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I wanted to be there for him, Peyton. He shouldn’t have had to deal with losing his mother alone.”
Peyton laid her head against mine. “You’d been through so much, too, Wren. Seth knew you needed to be around your friends and family.”
The second I closed my eyes, the tears fell. “I’m not a porcelain doll.”
Peyton sighed. “No, but you needed to come home.”
I sat up and quickly wiped the wetness off my cheeks. “Thank you for letting me stay here. Walker and Colby are the most precious things I’ve ever seen.”
Peyton shook her head and laughed. “I’m surprised you can say that after the past few nights of no sleep.”
My eyes were a little heavy, but it was worth it to see Peyton rejuvenated. I stood and stretched my arms over my head.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m heading home to take a nice long nap.”
Peyton stood with me and linked her arms with mine as she walked me to the door. “It has been great getting sleep. I’m almost tempted to lock you up here so you can’t go home.”
We both giggled and I hugged her. “All you have to do is ask, and I’ll be here.”
She kissed my cheek when I let her go.
“And I love you for that,” she said.
Peyton opened the door, and I grabbed my bags off the floor. When I got out to my little red convertible, I tossed my things in the back seat.
“Tell Ripp I said hello,” Peyton called out.
I waved at her and started on my way home.
When I arrived, Ripp was waiting by my door, dressed in shorts and a tank top that showed off his ripped arms and tattoos.
His leg was still in a cast but wasn’t white anymore.
Since he was a widely known MMA fighter, whenever he went out in public, and someone asked for his autograph, he turned around and asked for theirs.
His social media blew up after his accident, and people actively sought him out to sign his cast. I opened my garage and pulled my car inside.
Ripp followed me in, using a crutch to help him. “Peyton called and said you were on your way home,” he said, grabbing my bags from the back seat.
Laughing, I took my bags from him. “She told me to say hello, but I guess I don’t need to since you’ve already talked to her.”
Ripp shrugged. “I told her to call me when you were headed home. I wanted to make sure I was here.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked through the door into my kitchen, feigning annoyance even though I found the sentiment sweet. “I swear, you two are something else. I never would’ve thought you’d be this overprotective.”
Ripp followed me inside and shut the kitchen door. “You’ve been busy with the twins this week. We haven’t had much time to talk since you’ve been home.”
After setting my bags down on the floor, I opened my arms and hugged him. “No, we haven’t. But I’m back now.” I let him go and smiled. “It’s really good to see you. I know you’re ready to get back to fighting.”
He snorted. “Way past ready. I know you are, too.”
My gaze dropped to his broken leg. “I am. And I need my sparring partner.”
He glanced down at his leg and sighed. “Soon. But hey,” he said, lifting his head, “I have a shit ton of lasagna in my fridge. Do you want to come over and eat dinner with me?”
My stomach growled just thinking about it. “I would love to. And then I’m going to come right back here and go to bed. I probably only got six hours of sleep the entire week.”
Ripp chuckled. “I understand that. Just come over when you’re ready.”
“Will do,” I said, watching him hobble out the door.
The second he walked out, I strolled around the house.
It was so quiet, except for the waves crashing against the shore.
Everything was exactly how I had left it.
The mail was still spread out on the living room coffee table; I never opened any of it before leaving for Vegas.
However, there was a difference in the house, and I could feel my throat tightening as I walked toward the sunroom.
When I stepped through the doorway, it was as if the sun had illuminated everything with its essence. Ripp had set Parker’s urn and a small potted succulent on the table beside the couch. The plant had to have been from Peyton; she loved succulents.
“Hey, Parker,” I murmured, kneeling by the table.
“I’m sure you’ve been looking down on us here, so I’m not going to go into great detail about everything, but Nikolai is dead.
He’s in hell where he belongs. I’m free, and so are all our friends.
They don’t have to worry about looking over their shoulders and wondering when they’ll be targeted next.
” I looked away from the urn and rubbed a hand over my aching chest. “I have a little more time off before I have to train, and I was thinking of taking a trip. I know you always wanted to travel.” I wanted to spread his ashes around as many places as I could.
My gaze landed on the urn, and I couldn’t hold back the tears.
“It’ll be fun, Parker. I wish you could be here to experience it with me. ”
Gently, I placed a hand on the urn. “I love you, brother. I’ll see you again one day.”
My phone beeped with an incoming text, and I smiled when I saw it was from Seth.
Seth: I love you.
There was still uncertainty about how we would live our lives together, but I’d always been a day-to-day kind of girl. Grinning, I sent a reply.
Me: And I love you.
I had to believe it would all work out in the end.
* * *
Dinner with Ripp was perfect. It was somber, but it felt like nothing had changed.
We bantered back and forth, and he made me laugh.
I didn’t realize how much I needed my friends.
I’d been a loner my whole life, and I wouldn’t go back to that.
It felt good to care about people and have them care about me.
The sun started disappearing, casting the sky in a beautiful twilight glow. I wanted to get in the hot tub, but the cushiony lounge chair was too comfortable to get out of.
Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and smiled.
“With that grin on your face, I hope it means you’re thinking about me.”
My eyes shot open and I gasped, almost falling out of the chair as I tried to get up.
It was Seth, dressed in jeans and a simple green T-shirt, with his blond hair unkempt as if he’d run his hands through it.
My heart soared at the sight of him. I ran over and jumped in his arms, his lips demanding as they crushed into mine.
“You’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I demanded.
Seth chuckled and his hazel eyes twinkled with mischief. “I wanted to surprise you.”
He kissed me again and I melted in his arms. “I’ve missed you so much.”
His breath was warm against my neck. “I missed you, too.”
I pulled away from him so I could look at his face. There was something different about him. It was almost like he was at peace.
“How long are you here for?” I asked.
He smirked. “For as long as you want me.”
The second he said that my pulse quickened with excitement. Seth brushed the hair off my face, his fingers sliding down my cheeks.
“I handled everything in New York for the time being. I thought it’d be fun to stay and watch you train with your coach.” He leaned down and kissed me again. “I want to support you in every way I can. There’s just one problem.”
My brows furrowed and I searched his face for any clue on what that problem could be. “What is it?”
He blew out an exasperated sigh and smiled. “I have nowhere to live.”
Rolling my eyes, I smacked his arm. “Stop being ridiculous.”
Seth shrugged. “I can buy a place if you want me to, but I know you like living next to Ripp.”
Sliding my hands up his chest, I pressed my body to his. “We might be able to work something out. But it turns out that I have a problem as well.”
Seth tilted his head to the side. “Oh yeah? Care to tell me?”
I bit my lip, knowing he could see the need in my eyes. “It’s been a long week without you.”
“Yes, it has,” he replied, pressing his cock into me. “I hope you’re not too tired because we’re going to have one hell of a busy night.”
I was tired before, but not anymore. I’d happily give up another night of sleep to be with him.